Lyon–OM (1-0): De Zerbi bitterness, torn between regrets and demands

“At eleven against eleven, we were better than Lyon”

The evening at Groupama Stadium left a bitter taste. Olympique de Marseille lost 1-0 to OL, undone by CJ Egan-Riley’s early sending-off. In his press conference, Roberto De Zerbi didn’t mince his words:

“We suffered, yes, especially after the sending-off. We didn’t concede many clear-cut chances, but we suffered. At 11 v 11, even if it wasn’t our best match, I think we were better than Lyon.”

A clear takeaway: the turning point of the match was the red card, which upended all his plans.

A fragile defence but not overwhelmed

While OM are still awaiting the arrivals of Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri to shore up the back line, De Zerbi took responsibility for the defensive errors:

“I think the goal we conceded, like the sending-off, were incidents we brought upon ourselves. To begin with, the ball was ours. On the red card, there was that Egan-Riley mistake that set Fofana through. He’s a 2003-born player, quite young. Cornelius was the only defender we had on the bench.”

The coach refused, however, to dramatize: “From a defensive point of view, I don’t think Lyon created many chances, even when we were a man down. If we want to play with courage, we have to play with personality. If we think we can retreat into a back five, we’re not going to have many chances. That’s not the right mentality if you want to play at a big club.”

Balerdi defended, Gouiri left out

Asked about Leonardo Balerdi, at fault in certain phases of play, De Zerbi chose protection over criticism:

“I have nothing to say to him, honestly. Yes, he made a mistake. But if things need to be said, we do it in the dressing room. Beyond the performance, which can be better or worse, I have nothing to add about him.”

As for Amine Gouiri, who remained glued to the bench for the entire match, the decision was primarily physical:

“If Amine didn’t play, it was a physical choice. I didn’t see him in great shape this week. That’s all, it happens. You can’t be at the top all the time. We felt that Aubameyang, Traoré and Nadir could do better. The sending-off complicated things, changed my plans. Bringing on Robinio Vaz rather than Gouiri was justified because I thought his pace could help us attack the space in behind better.”

The transfer window in the background

With Adrien Rabiot’s move to AC Milan imminent, De Zerbi declined to go into detail:

“I was focused on the match tonight; I didn’t talk about the transfer window with Pablo and Medhi Benatia.”

A way to keep the focus on the pitch, despite a red-hot end to the window for OM.

A defeat that raises questions, but a clear message

Beyond the setback, De Zerbi is sticking to his guns: courageous football, defensive standards, and faith in youth. With Aguerd and Palmieri expected, and perhaps other reinforcements, the Italian coach hopes to turn the page quickly.

“My biggest regret tonight is not having played eleven versus eleven.”